


will's midnight thoughts and mike's midday thoughts

by saney



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Period-Typical Homophobia, Slow Burn, Will's POV, mike can't focus, mike's POV, very bad, will can't sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-06-15 13:56:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 9,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15414423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saney/pseuds/saney
Summary: Will Byers was always a night owl, and his thoughts were too. Mike's thoughts seem to prefer midday, however, especially in the middle of class.





	1. midnight- november 9/10th 1985

He can’t sleep. Will’s mind keeps refusing. So he tries to focus on the symphony of snores coming from his friends. He’s pretty sure they’re all asleep, exploring worlds of their creation in their dreams. Or nightmares. He can’t imagine Dustin waking up in a soaked bed shaking from the terrors his head conjured up. That’s something that Will does. He can’t see Dustin doing the same. He can’t imagine the same for Max, nor Lucas, nor Mike. He can see the curly haired girl laid next to him having nightmares. But she’s strong, she wouldn’t be scared like Will. She’s already managed to face starting high school as a freshman with them, without prior school experience. How, Will could never know. He can’t handle school and he’s been in the system most of his life. She is one hell of a girl. And to think, his friends found her around this time two years ago. At the time, he was trying to escape a demonic shark-like creature. He should have fought back, but he ran. And now everyone thinks he’ll break every second of the day. Will misses having space to think, to draw, to listen to music without his mother’s fear he’s cutting himself off. 

Will doesn’t find himself tired, he should be. It’s a Saturday night, well technically a Sunday morning. His friends have exhausted themselves from the day’s campaign, and it still isn’t over. Despite high school changing every other friendship group among their peers, theirs didn’t change much at all. Well, apart from the fact Dustin attempts to flirt with absolutely everyone, unsuccessfully. Lucas and Max jokingly bicker, and often it will transform into sappy- not that they’d ever admit it- remarks of loving each other. And Mike and Eleven are never able to keep themselves away from each other. Will doesn’t mind it, after all, he missed his chance to tell Mike he liked him a while back. He’s pretty sure Max knows he doesn’t like girls, she comes from California, of course she’s going to know. Eleven isn’t really aware of gay people, she’s just happy living in her bubble of liking Mike. As for his male best friends, well he doesn’t think they know. He is pretty sure they think the constant mocking of him by his father and Troy’s group calling him a fairy and a fag isn’t true. That it’s just people calling him something he isn’t. He knows he is, but it’s not going to be something he’ll admit to. Looking at his friends’ sleeping bodies, he knows they will just stay in the oblivious bliss.

Will’s suddenly aware of the fact that Mike is in fact awake. As he was glancing over, he took notice of the fact Mike’s breathing was not the same pace as when he’s in his sleeping state. What does he do? Will isn’t bolt upright, and Mike isn’t looking in his direction, but appears to be trying to get up. Will panics and turns over towards Dustin, who’s mop of hair falls untamed all over Mike’s basement floor. Will shuts his eyes, and hopes for the best.

And then he falls asleep.


	2. midday- november 13th 1985

Mike is very annoyed. He should really be listening to his new science teacher- who is nowhere near as good as Mr Clarke- go on a spiel about who knows what. But he isn’t, he just can’t pay attention, and it’s bugging him. His thoughts are running wild while he’s couped up in a freezing, worn classroom. He would rather face Troy than this. He wants to be planning a new campaign, one he’s been working on for little over a week. Last Saturday at midnight, he thought he’d have time to do work on it while the others were there, but he was too exhausted, and it felt like someone else was awake. 

He’s currently watching El, who has been enamored by every subject they’ve had this year. Throughout last year and summer, she put almost every hour of the day into learning absolutely everything in order for her to enter high school with the rest of the party and Max. Mike thinks her will to learn is spectacular, she’s more motivated than he’s been for a long time. He often finds himself thinking about her or Will most of the time, whereas she’s constantly thinking about what lessons she can get ahead in, and what tests they have to study for. She reminds him of his sister in that way, they’re both very driven and headstrong. However, Nancy is annoying. She’s his sister, and El is El. 

El’s also brave, but so is Will. Mike often finds himself spiralling down into a pit of terror just by thinking about what Will went through. Sometimes he scares Mike. Well more the thought that he could have died. And seeing his lifeless body double. And most of all, when he was possessed by that Mind Flayer. Seeing him scream in pain that night freaked Mike out to no end. And then him shouting at his own mother to let him go. Well he didn’t do that, that monster did. He’s just so glad El closed the gate. He doesn’t think he’d survive seeing Will like that again. He wants his Will. Not that thing’s imitation of his best friend. Will is spectacular, and he deserves so much better than what he’s got in life. He’s so sweet and caring, and funny and enthusiastic. Mike sometimes feels like Will’s lost some of that since last year, and it hurts. It’s strange, because he doesn’t think he’d react so strongly if it had been Dustin or Lucas. Of course he’d be upset out of his mind like he is with Will, but it would just be different. He doesn’t really understand why. 

But yes, Mike is still annoyed. He’s annoyed that he actually finds himself enjoying talking to Max like he would Dustin or Lucas. He’s annoyed that El got over hating Max so quickly. He’s annoyed that all of the dumb girls in his year constantly reject Dustin, when he could be so caring. He’s annoyed he missed out on a whole year with El because Hopper had to hide her. He’s annoyed that his Mom never really pays attention to him. He’s annoyed that Nancy always gets the marshmallows in the Lucky Charms. But most of all he’s annoyed that he isn’t there for Will as much as he should be. He can tell Will does sometimes feel left out when him and El are doing what they do together, when Lucas and Max are flirting, and when Dustin makes a fool of himself again with another girl. He tries not to pay attention to the constant bullying of Will, but it gets him furious. Mike’s aware his face must have scrunched up, because Will’s giving him a curious look, he’s not paying attention either. 

Thank god he’s not the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and it's a day early! This is going to be a very slow burning fic, as Mike may be aware of his thoughts, but he's very oblivious to his emotions.


	3. midnight- november 13/14th 1985

At least this time, he has a reason to be up. Will’s attempting to finish tomorrow’s art homework, it’s only a simple sketch of an inanimate object. His teacher told them they could add tonal contrast if they wanted, but it isn’t required. No matter how tired he is, Will is definitely adding tonal contrast. He’s drawing a pencil pot, not too hard stuff, which allows his mind to wander. Freshman year hasn’t been insanely hard, just not a pleasant experience. Troy didn’t change one bit, and didn’t have to, as society will accept him no matter what. Will can’t really change his reputation as zombie boy, so he didn’t think the attitude swap was necessary. Homework has of course gotten harder, and the teachers either don’t give a shit or are impossibly strict. Will just tries his best to keep up with remembering who’s on what end of the spectrum.

Sometimes he finds it funny when his friends end up in their own worlds, like he often is. Today was Mike’s turn, but he appeared annoyed about whatever he was thinking about. It was kind of adorable, seeing face reflexively compress, but he couldn’t decipher why Mike had gotten so worked up. He was staring at Eleven for a while, but that was before he became so bothered. Afterwards he was staring at the teacher intensely, trying to focus, and then he noticed Will. Not that Will had already being staring at Mike for most of his day-dreaming session. 

Will is very glad Mike isn’t too aware of others feelings, it makes Will’s life a whole lot easier. The rest of the Party aren’t very observant either, with the exception of Eleven and occasionally Max. He often gets caught sneaking a glimpse at Mike by the girls, but he doesn’t believe Eleven thinks too much of it. Max often raises a brow, but appears to forget about the moment by the time they get a second alone. Which isn’t a bad thing. Dustin and Lucas are too in their own worlds to notice. Mike has never caught Will staring, and thank whatever god there may be for that. He doesn’t know what he’d do if he did. Die, probably. He’s lucky Mike doesn’t know about the feeling of love that rushes through Will’s veins when he smiles. He’s lucky Dustin and Lucas are too obsessed with girls to notice when he slinks off to the bathroom when everything gets too much. He’s unlucky because that happens a lot, but he’s managing. 

Will isn’t sure if he likes his current outline of his old pencil pot, it isn’t perfect enough. When it comes to art, Will always wants every detail to be as accurate as his body can make it. It’s why he hates drawing Mike, even though he does it more than what is healthy. He can’t draw Mike perfectly, because Mike is too perfect for that to be possible. And it bugs him to no end. He ends up hiding every drawing of Mike, from the world and from himself. He doesn’t want to accept he’s crushing on Mike, that just makes him more of a queer. He hates being jealous of Eleven, because she is one of the greatest people he’s ever met. She saved him. Knowing he’ll never be able to repay her makes him feel even worse. She always tells him he doesn’t need to, but he does. The weight of that is worse than all of the other anchors to his ship. He’s just praying his ship isn’t the Titanic. 

He doesn’t want to sink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I will hopefully update next week, but the two weeks after I probably won't be able to, as I'm on holiday. Anyway, thank you for reading.


	4. midday- november 15th 1985

Thank god it’s Friday. Frankly, Mike has had enough of school already. Yes, he’s only a freshman, but that doesn’t change things. It still sucks. He can’t stand how constant it is. You wake up; you go to school; you get home; you do homework; you go to sleep; you wake up again. There isn’t really any time to breathe. Seeing his friends is the only constant he likes. But even at that, sometimes it feels like they go too fast too. He doesn’t understand how Nancy has been dealing with it. However, he feels too awkward to ask her. Mike’s always been good at school, but it feels like that hasn’t carried over to high school. He blames moment like these, where he’s lost in his head during class. Getting lost in his head helps him though, gives him a moment to take it all in. The ability to pause and think is something Mike appreciates, but he’s unsure if his friends use it enough. 

Dustin with his big personality and need to learn seems to have it all under control, but he’s one of Mike’s best friends, and Mike knows Dustin won’t be able to keep it up for ever. And Mike’s sure Dustin will try and ignore that for a long time. Lucas with his logic and controlled nature doesn’t ever seem to think outside of the objective. He appears to always be doing everything to get to that point, and then creates another after he has reached his goal. Yes, this is an amazing skill for homework, but Lucas doesn’t seem to care about having moments of rest, and Mike knows he’ll need it. Max is more impulsive, and goes with the flow. That’s one of the reasons she grew on him. She’s also smart, she knows what needs to be done to keep her going. But she doesn’t seem to think about her impulses, or feelings, and when she brushes off bruises as being fine and goes back to Dig Dug, it feels likes she doesn’t want to think about why she’s in pain. She does the bare minimum to be okay, when if she thought about it, she could be happier. Mike wants her to be happier. Of course Lucas does make her happy, but another person cannot fully fulfil you. El fulfils herself, and seems to relish in the added bonus of Mike’s attention. She seems to be insistent on moving on from everything, and Mike is proud of her for that. But she hasn’t really been able to explore herself outside of school, because she has been trying so hard to catch up. Not only that, but to get ahead. Mike wishes she wouldn’t just push down her past.

Will is the only person he knows who seems to appreciate the ability to think, apart from himself. Will is a deep thinker, and as a result of that, he’s a quiet person. Mike doesn’t think this is a bad thing, but Will talking is one of his favourite things. And Will doesn’t say when things are bothering him, and Mike wishes he would. Mike has always thought Will’s mind is an amazing thing, and never really questioned it. Should he? 

They’re in science again, and the Party members in that class- that being El, Will, and Lucas- are all paying attention. El is frantically taking notes of every word coming out of the teachers mouth, Lucas is making a bullet-point list of the most important parts of it, and Will is just listening to the teacher, making diagrams when needed. Will is so lucky he’s artistic, it’s so cool. In Mike’s eyes, Will doesn’t even need his art, he is art. But Mike can tell it helps him understand the world in ways words cannot. It’s beautiful. Will’s beautiful.

Wait.

He thinks Will is beautiful?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry but I am leaving all of you on a (minor) cliff hanger for a few weeks. I am going to be on holiday (vacation) so I won't be able to post but I will as soon as I'm back! Thank you all for reading.


	5. midnight- november 17/18th 1985

For Will, things seem to hit him all at once. Maybe it's the homework he hasn't done, or the fact his mother is undoubtedly in love with Hopper (he didn't say anything, he's sure she's to focused on caring for him to be aware of it). But the fact that he feels way too strongly about Mike didn't hit him until about six months ago, when he'd realised he'd dreamed about Mike for the 25th night in a row. The reason it had hit him so hard was that contrary to every other night, it wasn't about him and Mike. It was about Mike and Eleven. The dream had awoken a pit of jealousy in him, and he hated it. In the dream, he was watching El kiss Mike at the snowball, exactly how the real event had happened. But what was so bad about it was that the kiss kept repeating, until it was a different kiss, one where it was their wedding, and Will couldn't do anything. He hated, and still hates, that dream with a burning passion. He tries not to mind El and Mike being together, and has managed that way for six months. He's happy for them, he has to be.

 

He's not happy that his mind keeps obsessing over it, however. Losing control of his thoughts was frequent, and terrible. Be it thinking about them, or ptsd from the Mind Flayer, his mind was not a great place to be. What did he do to deserve it? He's just glad Mike doesn't know about his crush, or anyone for that matter. He hasn't actually told anyone he's gay, out of fear, but his friends never seem to comment on the bullying saying he is. The bullies are right, but he hates how he's made fun of because of it.

 

Today is another obscenely bad day, like Will has been having for most of his life. Theoretically, he should be used to the taunting, the episodes, the nightmare of it all. However, he's not, and he's pretty sure this won't change. It's almost like the days get worse, and honestly he sometimes feels like he wants to give it all up. Today, Troy tripped him into another episode, after calling him a fairy. Thank god it's no longer now-memories, but it still feels just as petrifying. It was a triple shot, aimed to send Will right into insanity. It didn't, but it didn't help that his first sight after the episode was Mike's arm around El. It's like life wanted to say “it isn't over yet”.

 

He might consider telling his Mom one day. Being gay certainly isn't as bad as being possessed, right? Some people think it's worse, like his father, but he's pretty sure his Mom isn't the type. He loves his Mom, and surely after all the trouble she's been through for him she wouldn't hate him. He hopes so. He definitely hopes so when he pulls out a notepad and starts planning a speech, actually more so a letter, as he can't possibly say it perfectly out loud.

 

_Mom_

 

_I don't think I'd be able to say this out loud, so I'm writing it down. Please don't hate me after this._

_Hawkins isn't very accepting of people who don't fit into the catergory of ‘normal', you'd know it as well as I do. Dad didn't like that I wasn't normal, but you aren't dad. I don't think you would hate me as much as he would if I told him this._

 

_I'm a queer. I'm gay._

 

He's crying, and he doesn't think he can finish this. But he does anyway, and the handwriting gets sloppier as his vision blurs from the tears.

 

_I hope you still love me. I'm still your son. But if you don't agree, I understand. I can leave if you want me to._

 

_Will_

 

He doesn't think he can show her, his heart is speeding at the thought.

 

Yet he does, anyway. He doesn't feel in control of his body. Tiptoeing into her room, he lightly places it on her nightstand.

 

And he spends the rest of the night in Castle Byers, cold and afraid. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys I know this isn't tuesday and I haven't posted sorry, but I hope you enjoy! I'm sorry that I left it on a cliffhanger oops, but you'll know what happens in Mike's chapter I promise.


	6. midday- november 18th 1985

It was terrifying having Joyce call his Mom at god knows what time in the morning saying she didn’t know where Will was. His stomach nearly fell out of his body at the shock. His mind froze, worrying about all the possible things that’d happened. Mike certainly didn’t want Will to be missing again, he can’t handle the thought. He’s sure he’d shrivel into a ball and never see the light of day again. 

 

Luckily, this wasn’t the case. An hour later, Joyce called again and said she’d found him in Castle Byers, asleep. She didn’t say much else about why he’d gone there in the night. While he was getting ready for school, Mike prepared questions about the topic to ask Will. He didn’t mind if he didn’t want to answer, but he felt like something must’ve provoked it. An episode? Did he just need some air? It’s winter! Mike was truly baffled.

 

When Will arrived at school, Mike asked, but Will only told him a few things. The only full conclusion Mike had received was that he’d told his Mom something in a note and wasn’t sure how she’d react. Mike didn’t understand how Joyce could ever feel anything remotely negative towards her son, she went to literal Hell for him. The questions plagued Mike.

 

He’s sitting in class at this very moment, still wondering what was in that note. Will seems happier than he did the week previous, or hell his whole life before this day. He assumes Joyce gave a positive reaction to whatever Will wrote. Maybe he’d told her he doesn’t want to go to college anywhere close? Maybe he accidentally lost something of hers? Or broke something? Mike’s mind was running wild with theories of what was in Will’s note. Why didn’t he tell Mike?

 

Is it something he doesn’t want him to know? He scribbles ‘Did Will tell you what he told his Mom?’ onto a piece of paper and passes it to Lucas, trying to be as discreet as possible. Lucas studies it, writes his response, passes it back. ‘No, did he tell you?’. Mike shakes his head, and the other boy shrugs and returns back to his world of notes. He turns to Will, who immediately looks away. Was he looking at what Mike wrote? He might be mad. Please say he isn’t mad. Mike nudges him, sending a curious look with a thumbs up, the silent language asking if Will was alright. He nods, and Mike can’t help but focus on how cute he is. 

 

He still doesn’t know how to deal with his new found crush. Will liking him back is completely out of the question, but he has found himself daydreaming, and regular at night dreaming, about him liking him back. It’s wholly unrealistic, which hurts, but thinking about it makes Mike’s insides float. He doesn’t know what to do with himself sometimes. There are times where he just wants to have Will against his body, kissing him all over. He really shouldn’t think about that, his father would hate him for it. He will never tell him. And he’ll never tell Will. What if he hates him for it? That would tear Mike into tiny pieces of broken soul. He’ll just try to let it be. He can’t do anything for now. 

 

Mike suddenly wonders why Will was looking at him earlier. It seemed… fond? Like he may like him too.

No. He doesn’t. It’s his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter, unfortunately, but the next will have a lot more content. But Mike, as per usual, is oblivious. Hope you enjoyed it!


	7. midnight- november 22nd/23rd 1985

Will really does love his mom. He was so terrified she’d hate him after seeing that letter, but she was actually okay with it. It makes Will feel so happy to know she still loves him. He was freezing in Castle Byers that morning, he’s glad she found him when she did. He didn’t mean to worry her by not being at home, he was just so worried. The first thing she did was give him a hug, and he could feel the warmth returning to him. She seemed happy too. Maybe it was just the relief she’d found him, but he’s sure it was the fact that he had told her. 

He didn’t really know what he was doing when he wrote he was gay, but it felt so right. He may not be able to be too open, but it was a weight off of his shoulders. His mom asked questions, but he didn’t mind answering them. Telling her when he knew; who she can and can’t talk about it around; if he had a crush (he admitted with much embarrassment that yes, he had a crush, no, he won’t tell her who it is); and the other questions that entered her mind about it. She didn’t seem patronising when asking him questions about his sexuality, more so curious in a supportive way. He loves his mom so much.

However, his mom nudging him while the Wheelers were over for dinner this evening and he looked at Mike for a single second made his heart jump and not in a good way. Is he that obvious? It didn’t help that he also physically jumped, or at least made some sort of movement to catch Mike’s attention. That was the worst part. He was more focused on the fact that Mike kept catching his eye during the meal than whatever their parents and siblings were talking about, or the food itself for that matter. Mike did catch him staring on Monday, and that was the moment Will started getting caught. It’s been happening all week. There was one other occurrence where Will noticed Mike was staring at Will on Wednesday, but there may have been something on his face. Will is certain the taller boy likes girls. What takes him off guard is that Mike smiles when he sees Will gawking at him. Does he know? Will hopes not. 

It’s not fair that he has what feels like a thousand things to do, but at least he’s efficiently working through. Who knew freshman got this much homework? He has three tests coming up, and 8 other pieces of homework. He’s certain they do this purposely to torture students, as if they don’t have enough on their plate. Hopefully, Will will get through all of this over the weekend, but he’s doubtful it’ll be of high quality. He’d like to say he’s a good student, but after everything that has happened his work hasn’t been the best. It’s hard to get through two pieces without a panic attack, yet he still tries. He’s managing, and that’s enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, although it's a bit shorter. I promise that the next chapter will be longer as there may or may not be a time jump (although not a large one). Thank you for reading!


	8. midday- january 12th 1986

Mike is certain he's going to have to end things with El at some point. He can't just feel these things for Will and still be with her. He did like her some time ago, but over the past few months his feelings for Will have grown, and his feelings for El have just... gone. It sucks because he spent all that time loving her for it to end up with him not feeling anything. He doesn't know how she'll react, but maybe it's good for her too. Right? He's trying so hard to justify his thoughts but he still feels guilty. At least he isn't telling her too late. He's stopping it before it becomes to big, right? He really doesn't want to hurt her. She's at least one of his best friends, if anything. He hopes she won't kill him. Literally. She's been so invested in school that he's sure she isn't too head over heels anyway. Even over winter break she seemed more interested in spending time with Max, strangely. She doesn't watch him using her powers anymore apparently. That's a good thing. When he will tell her, he hasn't decided. 

 

Sitting around a dinner table is his family. He can't stand his parents, constantly lecturing him over things he has no control over. Sorry he didn't remember to take out the trash, it's not like he has fifty other chores to do! Holly is fine, sometimes annoying when she asks him to play with her when he's doing tomorrow's homework. Nancy is the only person in his family who he can trust, although he hates to admit it. She's seen all the things he has, and worse. She saw Will's 'exorcism', she went to the Upside down for a brief time in 83', saw the demogorgon multiple times and faced it head on. She's awesome. He won't be saying that out loud, ever. But he can talk to her now, which is _so great_. He can unload all his fears, and she will too. Yes he hates how she always steals the marshmallows in the Lucky Charms, but overall she isn't that bad anymore.

 

Dustin has a crush. Mike thinks it's stupid. Inevitable pairing, as almost every crush Dustin has is stupid. But, Dustin seems happy. Which in turn, makes Mike happy. But he's also worried that Dustin's crush is his sister. After the Snowball in '84, he noticed Dustin... staring at his sister. At first he thought it was nothing but Dustin just kept coming over to Mike's in winter break that the timing Dustin announced his crush he became suspicious. Of course Nancy danced with Dustin out of pity, and she has Jonathan, but he seems infatuated with her. Mike doesn't really get why. At least it isn't Max anymore.

 

Speaking of Max, she's started appearing happier. Mike only really noticed when she was practically beaming at the Party's Christmas gathering. He's pretty sure it's because Billy actually didn't come home for Christmas this year. She's been happier all through high school, but she seems to have finally got a new chapter. He hates that he's actually kind of happy for her. She's actually kind of cool and didn't replace El and didn't intend to. He feels kind of sorry for being so mad at her but he can tell El feels it the most. She's been trying to make it up to her, after all she threw her off a skateboard.

 

Oh god. He hopes she won't throw him off a skateboard when he breaks up with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter (I was fairly excited to be able to write from Mike's perspective when I realised he probably should break up with El). Hopefully you guys won't mind the time jump from November to January, I just thought it may get repetitive if it's just weeks on end. I know that Will's coming out storyline is no where near finished and will continue on next chapter with some actual talking in real time (secrets shared at midnight are always most important). Also, I know this is tagged as minor lumax and they will remain the pairing that stays together but my elmax heart is going to be spreading hints of a possible crush on Max from El after the Mileven breakup. I'm probably spoiling a lot but I'm really excited. Final thing, no Dustin will not get with Nancy, yes it will be a consistent arc because honestly, why wouldn't Dustin crush on Nancy? Like father like son. Thanks for reading!


	9. midnight- january 15th/16th 1986

It’s been nearly every night recently where Will’s been up. He’s unsure if it’s too big of a problem, because he’s lucky to never really get tired. Unlike most, he’s been able to survive naturally without the help of caffeine. Jonathan worries him with his near addiction sometimes, whenever Will asks about it the only answer he gets is that “It’s fine, I’m fine”. Doesn’t stop the constantly bouncing knee from nagging at his mind. It happens after Hopper has coffee too, and before he’s had it he’s constantly agitated. Will wonders if coffee is something you can be addicted to, like a drug. He can’t stand the stuff, it’s too bitter for him. His friends seem to have also gained the love of it sometime over last summer, as if in preparing for high school life. He really doesn’t get it.

He hears creaking coming from Jonathan’s room. Why is he still up? He ponders for a moment if he should get into bed as to not cause worry from his brother, but the creaking is snaking towards his room. Is it Jonathan? Please be Jonathan. The doorknob turns and…

Oh thank god it’s him. He enters the room with a calm smile.  
“Hey buddy, what are you doing up?”  
“What are you doing up?”  
“Honestly, I don’t know. I was just thinking, and you know a couple of months ago when you spent the night out in Castle Byers?”  
Oh no.  
“Yes…”  
“Why did you do that? Mom told me not to worry about it but... are you having now-memories again?”  
“What? No! It was just something small.”  
“Small enough for Mom to worry about your safety?”  
“You’ll hate me if I tell you.”  
“I won’t. You are always going to be my brother and my best friend.”  
“You don’t know that.”  
“What, am I adopted? Will, I’ve always told you this, being a weirdo is the best thing to be! Being normal is overrated.”  
Will is hesitant, and he doesn’t know if he should say but-  
“I’m gay.”  
“And dad’s a dickhead who should have never made you feel like that’s a bad thing to be.”  
And with that, Jonathan envelopes him in a tight hug. Will’s pent up tears explode out of him like a volcano. He loves Jonathan so, so much.  
But he has brought up the one issue with this that Will has lost too many nights to.  
Lonnie.  
He’s not even his father anymore, in Will’s eyes. He’s the only person on the face of the Earth Will would ever bring any harm to. Although he doesn’t, because he’s afraid of him, and he doesn’t like to hurt people. Lonnie is not an accepting man, he’s known that his whole life. But there’s going to be a day he’ll find out. Separate of course to the many times he has called him a fag. Will doesn’t want that man in his life.  
He does want Jonathan in his life, however, and for now that doesn’t seem to be changing. They’ve been hugging and crying for a while now. Will’s glad to have such a open brother. As they pull apart, Will feels another weight off his shoulder.  
“Thank you, Jonathan.”  
“For what? Being how everyone should?”  
“For being there for me.”  
“I should be there for you more.”  
“Trust me, you’re there for me almost too much. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I worry that you don’t have any other friends.”  
“I give all my love to you and this is what I get in return? Will you’re heartless!” He mocks offence, and they laugh and talk almost until sunrise, when Joyce finally tells them to be quiet saying about how she “never sleeps a wink in this house”. She loves them really. And Will loves them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not uploading in a while! I've been finding time to write hard, as my day to day has become busier by the minute. I am hoping to get updates out every fortnight (two weeks) at most, usually on Sundays, as they are easier to do than Mondays. I hope you enjoyed the sweet midnight talk between Jonathan and Will, I've always loved the bond between them. Thank you for reading!


	10. midday- january 18th 1986

Mike is terrified. For the first time in his life, he’s actually afraid he may die. Usually he’d combat fear with anger or sadness, but now he can’t do anything but be scared. Petrified, even. ‘Why is he so shook up?’ you may wonder. He is about to end his first relationship. With a girl who has a lot of anger and the ability to kill someone with a look. This could ruin everything with everyone. He doesn’t want it to. He doesn’t want to ruin her idea of love either, they kind of rushed into it all only one week after meeting. Could he pair her off with someone else just to make it easier? Impossible. Lucas and Max are together, and well Dustin is Dustin. If he got her with Will, not only would it break his heart but it’d be weird, considering that Hopper and Joyce are basically together. Joyce and Hopper are cute, and clearly they rely on each other a lot. 

What’s not cute is El’s face when Mike says “We need to talk.” She watches a ton of TV so she knows exactly what that phrase means. His heart is thumping, bursting through his chest trying to escape the next events. “What is it, Mike?” She replies, with a hint of ice in her tone. A pit in his stomach drops into an abyss. If he phrases this right it can’t be that bad, right?   
“Don’t you ever want to know who you are?”   
“Yes…”  
“Do you really think you are happy as just ‘Mike’s Girlfriend’?”  
“No, but…”  
“You need to explore who you are. Fair and simple.” She’s confused, but he continues. “I care about you a lot and I think you’re awesome but don’t you want something more?”  
“Like Max?”  
What? That was not what he was expecting. His expression reads his thoughts, as she continues, at a snail’s pace out of hesitance.  
“Like I could want Max… right?” She seems nervous, and he’s not fully sure what she means.  
“If you think I like Max you are so wrong.”  
“No, Lucas likes Max. Not good.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I like you. But…”  
Holy shit. Is she doing this breaking up thing for him? She’s not going to be able to have Max but this makes it so much simpler.  
“You have words El, you can use them. I won’t tell anyone, promise.”  
“She is like you.”  
Ew, what? No. He’s sure she’s picked up on the disgust from that description.   
“You are very nice. She is very nice. You can get upset. She can get upset. You are pretty. She is pretty.”  
“Yeah, I guess.”  
He won’t lie, the fact she may have liked Max for a while stabs him, but it makes this a lot easier for him. He was hoping the ‘find yourself’ angle would mean she’d become who he’s always known she’ll become, a beast of beauty. He feels bad for her, considering liking the same gender is rare, and her and Lucas are pretty much made for eachother. Maybe El and Dustin can talk about Max together, he knows that Dustin still isn’t over her. He feels bad for him (and annoyed at his crush on his sister too). How did Max get so lucky?   
“Mike.”  
“Yes?”  
“You think Will is pretty.”  
Fuck.  
“Don’t be scared.”  
He still is anyway.  
“I think you’re pretty too.”  
“You wanted to end… things. I know what they do on TV.”  
“This isn’t a TV show.”  
“You still want to end things. I don’t mind that. As long as Will is safe.”  
She’s the sweetest thing alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I didn't really know if I was going to fully integrate the mostly one sided Elmax (I've heard the ship names madmage and hoppfield being used and I love them so much I might start using them more), but Lumax is going to remain the ship. I promise the plot is actually going to be going somewhere from now on. I'm going to be posting a lot more over the next week, so hopefully that will be fun. I think this is going to have something between 18 and 20 chapters, and I will be taking a break for while afterwards to finish a story to upload for you guys. Once again, thank you all for reading.


	11. midnight- january 18th/19th 1986

Will’s thinking about a lot of things, but more so what happened earlier this afternoon. Mike was with Jane today, and Nancy was staying over. Will, Jonathan, and her were in his living room. Nancy and Will were doing homework, while Jonathan was taking photos. Both Will and Nancy despised it, both telling him their hair was a mess today, to which Jonathan chuckled. After a while, he went to the toilet, leaving Nancy and Will alone. Nancy, despite having jabbed him with a scalding fire iron, feels like family to Will. And much like the rest of his family, he was very honest with her. This time, he was a bit too honest.

“Nancy?”  
“Yeah Will?”  
“Do you like me?”  
“Yes, of course I do, Will! You’re amazing!”  
“You’d still like me if I were… different, right?”  
“Will, I date your brother.” He smiled through his nervousness.  
“I like guys.”  
“So do I. No difference whatsoever.” Immediately, he felt immensely more relaxed. That would change.  
“Do you like any guy in particular?” She questioned, wanting to make conversation.  
“Um. Well. Uh.”  
“I get it if you’re nervous Will, I won’t judge.”  
“Did you know Dustin has a crush on you?” He blurted, not entirely knowing what to say. How would he just say ‘Oh yeah I’ve been hopelessly in love with your brother for months’? Actually, she kinda did that to him…  
“I could tell. He’ll get over it. Now back to you. I know you’re trying to dodge the question!”  
“You know this person pretty well?”  
“So at this point it’s either Steve or Mike…”  
“Oh my god I barely know Steve!”  
“So it’s my brother?”  
“No.” His smile said otherwise.  
“He’s an annoying piece of shit!”  
“No! And you know you care about him.”  
“I know. It’s not exactly subtle that you like him.”  
“It’s not?”  
“Who does he like? Mike?” Jonathan appeared back into the room, and Will’s face flushed with embarrassment.  
“Will was telling me how he’s positively in love with my brother.”  
“Not like you aren’t in love with mine!” Will jokingly retorted.  
“Wheelers and Byers are meant to be, Will. It’s written in the rules.” Jonathan claimed, sitting down next to Nancy, kissing her cheek.  
“Get a room! And what rules?”  
“It was a peck! And rules only seniors and older know.” Nancy teased.

They kept talking, and joking until Will’s mom came home from work. Will retired to his room, and started drawing.

Cut to now, where Will’s almost done on his drawing. He’s sure telling his friends about liking guys wouldn’t be this easy, right? He couldn’t even imagine it. Most of his friends ARE guys, it’d definitely ruin his friendships with them. Max may not mind. He should test the waters with her, as they aren’t that close anyway. He turns on his walkie talkie, and turns it to her channel. 

“Max? Are you up?” To his surprise, she responds almost a second after.  
“Yes, are you okay?”  
“Yeah. Are you?” He realises how awkward that was, and internally cringes.  
“Of course. Did you have a nightmare or something? Why are you up?”  
“I’m gay.” The pause before she responds is terrifying.  
“Cool. Hi gay, I’m Max.” He’s sure she can hear his splutter of laughter, so she continues.” Anyways, I’m bisexual.” Bisexual?  
“I’m probably being naive but what does that mean?”  
“I like guys and girls.”  
“Oh that’s cool! Sorry, I haven’t heard of it before, as obviously we don’t exactly live in the most accepting place.”  
“Yeah, have you told any of the others?”  
“Just you in the party.” He can feel her smile when he refers to her as part of the party.  
“Oh, is there any reason you came to me first? We aren’t exactly the closest members, although I’d love to be closer, considering how cool you are.”  
“Cool? I am not cool. That’s you and El and Lucas and Dustin and Mike. And my mom.”  
“Momma’s boy Byers!”  
“Yeah, I know. But I thought you’d probably be easiest to tell, as you come from California.”  
“Makes sense. Are you going to tell the others?”  
“Maybe one day, but I just don’t want to seem weaker than I already am, you know?”  
“I know you feel weak, but you definitely aren’t. Lucas told me you were going to shoot the Demogorgon. That’s strong as shit!”  
“Thanks Max, but you swung a bat covered in nails at your brothers dick and literally stole his car. You are amazing!”  
“Thank you, thank you. I try.” She jokes. “Anyway, do you like anyone? Bare in mind I can swing a bat at your dick if you say Lucas.”  
“Mike.”  
“Wheeler? Seriously? You have horrible taste, Byers.”  
“Mike isn’t that bad…”  
“I’m only kidding you. I can’t exactly say he may like you back. You know as much as I do he is infatuated with Eleven. Sorry Will.”  
“No need to be. I accepted he won’t like me back a long time ago. I just take what I can get.”  
“I totally understand. I love Lucas, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world, but El is a fucking badass.”  
“You like her?”  
“Only a tiny bit. Lucas is too good to me for me to not love him. At least she’s a friend, you know?”  
“Yeah, it’s good you guys actually get on. Dustin told me she was rude when she first met you, which as you know, is so out of character.”  
“Yeah, I don’t mind it though. She may have thrown me off a skateboard, which did hurt yet it was so cool, but she was just jealous because she thought I liked Mike.”  
“How do you not mind that?”  
“Not my style. Anyway I have to go, before my step-father actually kills me.”  
“Please stay safe Max.”  
“You too Byers. Over and out.”

Max is so cool. He understands why Dustin and Lucas like her so much. Looking down at his finished drawing, he looks at their faces. ‘The Wheeler and Byers Rule.’ he titled the piece. Jonathan and Nancy are kissing, love hearts sprouting from their heads, and him and Mike are sat on the swings from the day they met, smiling at each other. He smiles, and tucks it into a folder. He should draw Max next.

He does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I've decided to post all the chapters left tonight as I've just finished. I hope you enjoyed all the bonding in this chapter!


	12. midday- january 20th 1986

They’re in science, and Mike’s working with Lucas for a project. He would have gone with Will, had El have not decided she was working with him because it was ‘her turn’ to work with him. He’s praying she doesn’t tell him he likes him. 

Mike and Lucas, as time has told, do not work well together in projects. They’re both too stubborn, and neither ever seem to want to do the same thing. He’s almost as unbearable as Max. Almost. This time they’ve compromised, for possibly the first time in either of their lives. It’s not too bad, until Lucas starts making conversation.  
“Did she break up with you?”  
“What?”  
“Ele- Jane. She ended it, or she’d have practically killed me and Will just to work with you.”  
“We broke up with each other.”   
“Seriously?”   
“Yeah… We both like other people.”  
“Who? Wheeler I swear to god if you like Max…”   
“Why the hell would I?” He makes a mental note to remind El not to tell Lucas she likes Max.  
“Who else do we know?” Mike looks over at Will, he looks happy.   
“Mike!” Lucas snaps him back to look at him.  
“Oh yeah, well it’s none of your business.”  
“I’m your best friend.”  
“So’s Will.”  
“Yeah and you totally don’t want anything more than that.” How the hell’d he figure that out?   
“Mike the fact you immediately became panicked when I said that literally proves my point.”  
“Well you like someone who’s more badass than you!”  
“No shit.”  
“Fuck you.”  
“Bet you want to.”  
“Screw you.”  
“Not any different.”  
“I don’t like you, asshole. And anyway, I like girls too!”  
“You can like both?” They’re both talking in a whisper.  
“Well I’d hope I’m not the anomaly.”  
“Mike you’re so weird you’re always the anomaly.”  
“I hate you.”  
“You know you love me.”  
“As a FRIEND.”  
“I’m irresistible.”  
“Max has given you a huge ego, clearly.”  
“Nah, I just know my worth. Back to your undying love, he’s single.”  
“And probably doesn’t like me.”  
“You know we’ve always known he doesn’t like girls.”  
“And you always call me a girl.”  
“Seriously, he may even like you of all people, if he loses his standards.”  
“If he’s lost his standards he likes you.”  
“Let’s just get on with the work.”

And so they do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the Lucas and Mike bonding, thank you for reading!


	13. midnight- january 22nd/23rd 1986

“Will, do you copy?”  
“Lucas, it’s midnight. But yes, I copy, over.”  
“How are you? Over”  
“Pretty good. You? Over.”  
“I’m doing good man. Do you like anyone? Over.”  
“Why’d you wanna know? Bored of Max? Over.”  
“Nah, she’s too good. I’m bored. Over.”  
“She feels the same way. Yeah I have a massive crush on Mike.” Shit. “Shit. Nevermind. Over.”  
“I knew it! And don’t worry about me being like all those assholes, I don’t mind. Over.”  
“You don’t? And you knew? Over.” If he knew… oh god. Hopefully Mike doesn’t.  
“Yeah. Over.”  
Suddenly, another voice came through the walkie.  
“Hey Will, Lucas. Do you guys copy?” It was Dustin.  
“I copy. Over” Lucas responded.  
“I also copy. How much of that did you hear? Over.”  
“A lot of it, like Lucas, I don’t care if you like guys. But Mike? You’re gonna get murdered by Eleven. Over.” He loves his friends, but that brought up a scary point.  
“Oh no, they broke up. Over.” Lucas shared.  
“Holy shit. Over.”   
“Seriously? Over.”  
“Yeah, Wheeler told me in science on Monday. Over.”  
“Did El come to the epiphany she was in love with me? Over”  
“Like that’s going to happen. Although he said it was because they both like other people. Over.”  
“Ah. Over.” Will commented.  
“Who does El like? I thought she was head over heels for him. Over.”   
“I don’t know, but it’s not going to be us three. Over.”  
“I’d laugh if she liked Max. Over.” Will joked, knowing fully well Max expressed mild interest in the brunette.  
“She’d steal your girl Sinclair! Over.”  
“Honestly, if she did I’d let her. Too afraid not to. Over.”  
“So I’m not enough competition for you but she is? Over.”  
“She threw me in the air with her mind, you said that yourself. Plus her dad’s the chief. You, however, have a diet of chocolate pudding, and feed your pets nougat. Bite me. Over.”  
“He’s right, Dustin. Over.”  
“Screw you guys, I’ll just date Nancy. Over.”  
“I’d like you to know her and my brother are far too happily in love for you to even be a threat. Over.”  
“You’ve lost the Wheelers to the Byers, Henderson. How does that feel? Over.”

They keep bickering for a couple of hours, until they all decide they are all far too tired for this. Mike, El and Max don’t question the snappiness the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will's coming out arc is almost done, however him coming out to El may be in some sort of one shot sequel I may make. Thanks for reading!


	14. midday- january 23rd 1986

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Homophobia.

Ted Wheeler has never been a good person. Not in Mike’s eyes, anyway. But he sent him over the edge last night. His dull, lifeless eyes became full of flames when they mentioned a gay man on the news.  
“What do these fags think they have on us real patriots?” Mike despises the use of us. No, he wants to say, if patriotism is the same as hate I don’t want to be a patriot.  
He wants to say it, but he’d be homeless the minute he ended the sentence. Clearly, he isn’t a real patriot. He’s just glad Ted’s not Lonnie, Lonnie would kill him.  
He felt Nancy stiffen at his words too. His Mom stays silent. They’ve heard it all before. What hasn’t happened before, is Nancy clenching her fist, about to retaliate. His eyes are fixated.  
“Bullshit.”  
“What did you say to me young lady?”  
“You’re the bad guy here, Ted.” The lack of Dad is intentional, he can tell.  
“What are you? A dyke?” And Mike feels the fist in his hand too.  
“Maybe I am.” She says.  
“Maybe I’m a fag.” He blurts out.  
“Nancy! Mike!” His Mom shouts.  
“Shut up!” They both shout in unison.  
“You’re a patriot, huh? I didn’t know patriotism meant hate!” He finally says.  
“You’re an asshole Ted. And Mom, you just let it all happen!” Nancy continues. “You guys are scum.”  
“You’re both grounded.”  
“Yeah right. Try that with no children.”  
They both left the room ascending the stairs, ready to pack up and leave, when they glance each other, both afraid. They hear their Mom downstairs.  
“Look what you’ve done! You good for nothing shit! Get out of my house!”  
They flinch when they hear a slap and Holly starting to cry.  
“You are my wife! My house, my rules.”  
“No, this isn’t your house anymore. And I’m certainly not your wife.”  
With that, they see their Mom rush upstairs to comfort them and a door slam.

Mike hasn’t seen Ted all day today, and he’s glad for it.

Lucas snaps him out of thinking.  
“You should ask him out.”  
“What?”  
“You’re having a sleepover tomorrow, right? Ask Will to be your boyfriend.”  
“He’s literally over there! And no! He doesn’t like me.”  
“Trust me, it can only go well.”  
“No, it’d ruin our friendship!”  
“Mike, you two won’t ever be apart because you like him. Honestly.”  
“He could hate me! And he won’t want to sleep in the same room knowing!”  
“He likes you.”  
“Does not.”  
“Does too. Ask Dustin.”  
“Dustin isn’t even here!”  
“I’m just telling you, he likes you. Anyway, who does Jane like?”  
Mike doesn’t believe him. His stupid mouth will end up telling him though.  
“Why do you want to know?”  
“Because I’m on a curiosity voyage.”  
“Stop trying to be Dustin.”  
“Stop being an oblivious piece of shit!”  
“Oblivious?”  
“Max said that’s what you are, it means unaware of what’s happening around you.”  
“Oh yeah Max said it she must be right…”  
“She is. Also, Dustin might actually try to date your sister.”  
“Ew, gross. She likes Jonathan.”  
“That was Will’s argument. Two peas in a pod.”  
“Shut up.”  
“Nope. You two will get married and be old and stupid together.”  
“You mean crazy together.”  
“Whatever floats your boat man.”  
He noticed Will turned around at the mention of what they promised each other Halloween of ‘84. He awkwardly smiles at the boy, receives a inquisitive look. He shakes his head as to tell him it’s nothing and Will gives him an adorable thumbs up and turns back to El.

He might tell him he likes him after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo! Can you tell we're close to the end? I had to make something go at least a little wrong, however, Ted Wheeler has nothing on Nancy and Mike.


	15. midnight- january 24th/25th 1986

It’s midnight and Mike is at Will’s. The whole night they’ve just talked about anything and everything. Will did have one thing on his mind all night, Mike’s lips. They’re just so kissable. He doesn’t even want to function properly, his mind is running absolutely wild. He feels embarrassed, but at the same time he doesn’t care. Mike is the only person he thinks he could be around 24/7.

“Did you and Eleven break up?” He shouldn’t have asked.  
“Yeah… it was a mutual thing.”  
“Are you okay?”  
“Honestly, yeah. Yes, she was my first love, but she isn’t going to be my last.”  
“Are you sure I should be Will the Wise? You’re Wheeler the Wise.”  
“Thank you, Will.”  
“You’re smart, Mike.”  
“If I’m smart, you’re Einstein.”  
“I’ll gladly take the honour.”  
“You’re also really brave too, I didn’t know Einstein personally so I don’t know if he’s brave as well.”  
“Thank you, Mike.” He’s just being a good friend right? A good friend who makes Will’s insides go woosh. And has kissable lips.

Mike tells him about how his whole family had an argument last night and Karen kicked Ted out. He doesn’t fully question it, although he encourages Mike to elaborate.  
“He was being stupid, calling gay people fags, saying how they aren’t real patriots which is bullshit. So I’m not a real patriot hm?”  
It takes him a moment, and it takes Mike to too. Mike is gay?  
“You’re gay?” Mike looks panicked and is about to backtrack but Will adds on. “I don’t mind you being gay Mike, I am too.”  
The states of emotion on Mike’s face are interesting. Relief, then curiosity, then a need to say something.  
“I don’t know if it’s a thing, but I like both guys and girls.”  
“Bisexual.” He states the term Max taught him.  
“What?”  
“You’re bisexual. Max told me the term because she is too.”  
“She is?”  
“Told me last weekend.”   
“Oh. El’s bisexual too.”  
“Who isn’t?”  
“Dustin definitely, Lucas debatable.”  
“You spoke to Lucas and Dustin too?” Strangely, before he answers, a rush of realisation crosses Mike’s face.  
“Just Lucas, but Dustin’s in love with Max and my sister for sure. But my sister is made for Jonathan.”  
“The Wheeler and Byers rule.” He blurts, remembering their siblings conversation with him.  
“What?” Mike is understandably confused, and Will says something he shouldn’t.  
“Wheelers and Byers are always going to be together.” The reaction he receives isn’t that bad, it’s great actually.  
“I agree.”  
Mike is hesitant. Why is Mike hesitant? Will is about to save the silence but Mike stops him.

“I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger! But as I've said, thank you for reading!


	16. midday- january 25th 1986

“Is this some sort of cruel prank?”

Mike couldn’t believe it. Up until that point, he’d been so nervous about telling him. Of all the ways it could have played out, Will not even believing him wasn’t an option. And it wasn’t going to be.

“Yes, I am in love with you Will. Do you really think I’m one of the assholes who somehow think pranking the one person I love most is fun? You really think that all of this is a prank? I am in love with you. I can’t even expect the feeling to be requited because of all the places I could have fallen for you in, in all of the vast expanse of human history, I had to fall for you here and now. And I know I’m in love with you because you are everything. You are perfect, and for you to not see that is insane. It may be worthless telling you, because this is such a small exchange which may not even affect the rest of our lives but it’s affecting me now. I’m in love with the fact that despite everything, you keep going. You are the strongest person I know, and I’m in love with you. I’m in love with how inherently good you are. I’m in love with you Will.”

Covered in tears, Will responded.

“I’m in love with you too, Mike.”

~

Today is Saturday, the day after the best night of Mike’s life. He’s snuggled up with Will on the Byers’ couch. Every nerve in his body is sending one message to his brain, love. They’re watching a movie for the 90th time, one of the few the Byers’ have kept for years. Mike feels at home here. Mike feels so at home with Will. Mike may never leave.

“Hey Will…”  
“Yeah Mike?”  
“I’m sorry.”  
Will’s face shifts into worry.  
“I’m sorry but I’m never leaving your side ever again. You’re stuck with me.”  
“I guess it could be worse. Not too much worse though.”  
“You sure about that, bowlcut?”  
“Yeah Michael, being around you is worse than giving presentations in class.”  
“You are adorable Will.”  
“I know.”

They intertwine fingers, and Mike is sure he’s never been this happy. Will’s face is sleepy, however, and he lets go to put his arm around the smaller boys shoulders, pulling him in tight.  
“When was the last time you had a full night’s sleep?” He asks with concern.  
“Long time ago.” He mumbles as his eyes shut, plunging him into a world of sleep. Mike checks no one is around, and lays a kiss on Will’s forehead. He makes a mental note to make sure Will stops having late nights, and falls asleep himself.

He couldn’t be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Byler fluff! Funnily enough, I wrote this chapter before chapters 11-15, so I made them all build up to it. I've always loved the idea of Mike giving a speech about being in love with Will so here it is!


	17. midnight- january 25th/26th 1986

Mike is in love with Will. Will still can’t believe that. Mike stayed over again, and neither family seemed to mind. They spent the night much like the previous, just with a lot more emotion and love for each other.

“So let me get this right, El, Dustin AND Lucas all like Max?” He asks Mike.  
“Yeah. She may be lucky enough to have them, but she’s nowhere near as lucky as me. I have you. Ha!” Will’s fireworks go off inside.  
“I’m luckier. But I feel so bad for Dustin.”  
“Why?”  
“El’s feelings aren’t completely unrequited. Max likes her a little but she loves Lucas. Dustin however, can’t get Max or Nancy.”  
“Or me, I’m yours.”  
“And I’m yours.”  
They face each other, laid on Will’s bed, smiling. One thing Will remembers before his nap earlier bugs him.  
“Did you kiss me on the head earlier?”  
“Yeah…”  
“Why?”  
“Well you were so sweet and adorable and ahhh!”  
“Exceptional vocabulary there Mike.”  
“I’m a linguist at heart.”  
“My heart just has you.”  
“Can I kiss you?” The request is sudden, and Will feels like his whole body may burst.  
“On the head?”  
“On the lips, cleric.”  
“Yes.”  
The kiss feels like coming home, full of the warmth Will craves.  
“You’re whimsical, Wheeler.”  
“You’re beautiful, Byers.”

Their friends and family will have many questions about that weekend, but no answer will ever amount to how much they both felt. Both of their thoughts ran wild, they were crazy for eachother. Perhaps, they did both go crazy together. Just like they said they would. 

Mike and Will are in love. And they love every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a journey. I don't know if I'll make a one-shot sequel, tying up any loose end, but the main plot is concluded. Sorry about a couple of the hiatuses, hopefully I've made up for it. As always, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't know what this is but I'm going to post this hopefully weekly while I'm writing something else! Please leave your opinions in the comments! Also, it will be many, many short chapters which should build up a story!


End file.
